Blogging Basics | 3 Boys And A Dog

Blogging Basics: How To Find Effective Keywords for YOUR Blog Posts #LearntoBlog

May 1, 2013 by Kelli 7 Comments

This week in our #LearntoBlog weekly hangout, we took a deep look into our Google Analytics to determine what keywords we should be focusing on and writing about. We also analyzed Google Adwords to help us come up with more topic ideas using our keywords!

So, we start experiencing some technical difficulties right near the end of the live chat – no worries, we actually covered everything so it worked out. One thing that didn’t get into the video due to our departure. Chrissy of The Taylor House asked if she should change the permalink in old posts when updating the SEO following our advice. We were able to answer her question on the G+ Event page, but if you weren’t there and are just watching now, you don’t know the answer. LOL!

NO! I suggest NOT changing those permalinks. If you do, any links out in the blogosphere that point to that page will no longer work!

Want more Blogging Tips and Work at Home resources?

This week only, some of the top bloggers and authors have teamed up to offer a HUGE parenting and homemaking library of books for only $29.97. Why am I telling you? Because in the huge collection there are 5 work from home & blogging books valued at $42.97 making the blogging part alone totally worth it for you – plus, everything else is just gravy!

Working from Home/Blogging – Total Value $42.97

Your Blogging Business: Tax Tips and Tricks
The Bootstrap VA
How to Grow Your Blog and Manage Your Home
How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too
Simple Blogging

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Filed Under: Blogging Basics Tagged With: #learntoblog, Blogging Basics, search engine optimization, SEO

Blogging Basics: Do Social Networking Your Way

April 17, 2013 by Kelli 5 Comments

Over the last 10 posts, I’ve shared a lot of suggestions for your approach to social networking. I hope that some of have been useful to you and I even hope that you’ve decided to completely disregard some of them. If there’s one key takeaway I’d like people to get from all this rambling on it’s this…

As a business using social networking, you need to approach it in a way that works for you. You have a unique audience and so you need to find your own unique approach that fits into your overall business plan.

There are so many social media experts out there telling us we have to be doing this and we have to be doing it X times each day or we’ll fail, but that’s just complete nonsense. At the core of everything you do is a business and that’s where you need to focus your growth. Social networking is simply a complement to that business. It cannot make or break you, unless you give it so much attention that you forget about actually growing your business.

So, as you build your social networking plan, consider the following:

- Which networks are the best fit for you and produce the best results to match your goals
- Scheduling your participation or hiring help, so it doesn’t interfere with other business tasks
- How to grow your very targeted following and how to deliver them something unique and useful

When you have all that figured out, everything else falls into place. But don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a crystal clear plan yet. It takes time and experimentation to find what works best for your business, so get out there and do it. Stay focused and you’ll get there.

I hope you enjoyed all the posts and that you learned something! I have enjoyed being at 3 Boys and a Dog. ~Greg Watson

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Filed Under: Blogging Basics Tagged With: approach, Blogging Basics, Networking, social media, social networking, Social Networking Service, Using Social Networking

How to Find Giveaway Sponsors, Products to Review, and Advertisers for your Blog #learntoblog

April 11, 2013 by Kelli 12 Comments

This week, we (I and Crystal and Company) discussed how to find giveaway sponsors! In the video below, we were going to tell you the FOUR simple steps to successful partnerships with brands for sponsorship, giveaways, and paid product placements! However, we gave so much content for the first two steps that we ran out of time! So, next week we will continue the final steps and end this series!

Seriously, it is a great one so while I will be giving a few details in this post, I want you to take the time to watch the video. There is so much information there that you simply must watch.

Below are some of the places we mentioned in the video:

In addition to these places, I also give you word for word my repitch!

Be sure you stay up to date on the ever changing FTC regulations!

Have something you want us to tell you about? Be sure to leave a comment so we can add it to our G+ schedule!

Have you missed any of the past 9 weeks? You can watch all 9 videos by simply clicking the one you want!

How to Increase Blog Traffic with Twitter
How to Use Pinterest to Increase Blog Traffic
How to Get More Traffic from Facebook
How To: StumbleUpon More Blog Traffic
How to Use YouTube to Grow Your Blog Traffic
How to Use Google Plus <– kind of a train wreck but if you can stick it out, it gets better! Then, I followed it up with a better one called Q & A Google Plus
How to Use Blogging Tribes
10 Must-Have Blog Elements (and 10 things I hate about your blog!)
How to Find Sponsored Content using Business to Blogger

Then, be sure to join us every Tuesday at 10 am Central (or 9 am Eastern) to watch the live show! As your questions and we will answer them!

Filed Under: Blogging Basics Tagged With: #learntoblog, Advertisers, advertising, blog, blogging, Blogging Basics, Find, Find Sponsors, Four Simple Steps, giveaway, Giveaways, How To, Product Placement, social information processing, sponsors, sponsorship, Successful Partnerships

Blogging Basics: Four Unexpected Benefits of Social Networking

April 10, 2013 by Kelli 1 Comment

We started out this blog series talking about how it’s a truly social web out there. No one can argue that. People are flocking to Facebook (a billion active monthly users) and are spending a large portion of their Internet time on social networks. Because of this, the experts tell us, as business owners, we also need to be on social networks.

It make sense. It definitely does.

But beyond simply trying to connect with our target audiences, social networking offers some other unexpected benefits including…

SEO Benefits: More and more, search engines are taking cues from social media to discover what content is truly valuable and what they should include in their search results. That’s why it’s not just important that you are present in social networking, but that your target audience is talking about your content. Make it easy for them to share your blog posts and create buzz for you. It will not only increase your traffic from social networks, but it can also increase your traffic from organic search.

Knowing People Before You Meet Them: Okay, I’m not talking about stalking anyone here, but there is tremendous value in already knowing a lot about people before you make a connection with them. Social networking gives you the opportunity to find people who share similar interests and values as you before you attempt to make a connection. Then, when you do approach someone, you can use the information you already have to get their attention and show them you’re someone who has done their homework.

Learning About Stuff: Social media is a great research tool that allows you to learn new things about your subject area, get business advice and more. If you’re approaching social media simply as a broadcasting tool, you are missing out on a much more enriching experience. Always be selective in the people you follow, so you can get the best results from your social media streams as possible.

Media Coverage: If you’ve positioned yourself as a person knowledgeable in your subject area and have grown a nice following, congratulations. You have become an expert that can be called on by various members of the traditional and new media for opinions, interviews and more. It’s not uncommon for reporters to find their sources through social media, so put your best foot forward and showcase your knowledge.

It’s clear that the social web is here to stay and that’s definitely a good thing. There is so much value it can bring us if we approach it responsibly and wisely.

Stayed tuned next week as I bring you more Social Media tips and trick to grow your blog as a business! ~Greg Watson

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Filed Under: Blogging Basics Tagged With: Blog Series, blogging, Blogging Basics, Business Owner, Expert Tells, social information processing, social media, Social Network, social networking, Social Networking Service, Your Social Media

End of First Quarter Goals Check In

April 6, 2013 by Kelli 6 Comments

We are over a fourth of the way through 2013! Now is the time to sit down with your goals that you made at the beginning of the year and do an evaluation!

How are the goals coming?
Has your focus changed?
Have your priorities changed?
Are you working towards your goals?
Do you have new goals?

So, here were mine and how things are going now!:

1. Increase traffic on all 3 sites by 60%! This isn’t really measurable until the full year is up – but my traffic is higher for Jan, Feb, and March of 2013 than it was for those months in 2012. So, I feel as if I am on track. I am spending more time trying to write the things that you guys are wanting to read.

2. Increase Twitter followers on all 3 by 50%

Main started 17,455 so goal is 26,183 – As of 4/6 this is at 18,930 – if you do the math, I am not on track to reach my goals. So, I am going to push a bit harder this quarter on getting my Twitter following higher and better.
Deals started 6,212 so goal is 9,318 – As of today this is at 6,871 followers. Again, I am not on track to reach my goal. So, this will be something I really work on this month!
SMC started 2,095 so goal is 3,142 – As of today I am at 2,780 followers. YAY! I am on track to reach this goal!

3. Increase Facebook fans on both (3bd and smc) by 50%

Main started 5,584 so goal is 8,376 – Currently at 6,221 – Uggh, I am about 60 fans away from being on target to reach my goal.
SMC started 1,190 so goal is 3,142 – Currently at 1,267 – Here I am about 400 fans away from being on target to reach my goal! OK, so I need to be spending more time working Facebook as well.

4. Make $6000 for the year on Google Adsense (this is actually doable at my current traffic) – By only month 3, I am half way to this goal already!!

5. Add 12 new videos to YouTube account (I currently have 44, so I will need 56 by the end of 2013) – Thanks to my weekly G+ Hangouts, I have already surpassed this goal! So nice to mark one as complete in the first quarter!

6. Be a speaker at a Blog Conference I have applied like crazy but not heard a word from anyone.

7. Increase Pinterest Followers to 10,000 only have 4,800 so I am not sure that is doable, but I am going to try! – Currently at 8,791 makes me about 2500 OVER where I should be to reach this goal! YAY!

8. Finish the A to Z Veggies book! Geez, this HAS to get finished. LOL! – Uggh, seriously thinking of hiring someone to do it for me. ROTFL! Ok, adding this (and the SEO book I am working on) to my DAILY to dos. If I only do 5 minutes towards each one, it isn’t taking tons of time and I will be working towards the goal of completion!

9. Hire another paid employee (home craft/DIY writer for main site) DONE! I now have 3 paid employees and several product review contributors!!

10. Have 10, $1.00 printable packs available for sale on Deals Site (working on this!) Pshaw… this is on the back burner until I finish the other books I am working on.

11. Increase Aweber newsletter subscribers to 5000! I am working hard to get this increased and am seeing changes daily now. I am a little over 1/2 way to this goal. Since I don’t know what I started with, I can’t figure out if I am on target.

12. Be host/party planner for 6 twitter parties – I actually hosted more than this in 2012, but wasn’t the planner for all of them. I want to be the planner for at least 6. I have completed 2 that I have planned which actually puts me on target!

13. Become a Walmart Mom!

So, I am on track for a good portion of my goals and reevaluating like this tells me what I need to be working on. So, I have set up a few tasks into my daily planner to help me work towards reaching these goals!